My 18th century wardrobe full of pretty, pretty princess clothes – silk and frills galore – but not much in the way of practical clothing. If I’m being honest, lower class clothing just doesn’t appeal. But after I made my brown wool petticoat, I knew I needed another jacket to go with it, something I wouldn’t be afraid to get dirty or messy. Enter the teal ikat jacket!

When it came time to construct something to wear underneath my riding habit jacket, I admit I was a bit stumped. There just isn’t that much information out there to the casual researcher about what exactly was going on beneath those habit jackets. Finally, I settled on the idea of a separate shirt to wear over my corset and shift but under the waistcoat like a man’s shirt.

I think one of my favorite parts of this trip was getting to make and wear all kinds of fun accessories. The kinds of things like mitts and cloaks that you just don’t need at a hotel convention or summer picnic, those little things that make the outfit seem more like clothing and less like a costume.

As promised, here is a little more construction detail about my riding habit jacket. Unfortunately, since I was in a rush I took almost no construction pictures, so I hope my rambling description makes sense. Read more...

In my original wardrobe plans for Williamsburg I had intended to make several new day outfits, but time got away from me and ended up pulling out my wavy print jacket and petticoat to wear instead. I have to say I’m really glad I did! When prepping for an event, it’s easy for me to get into the mindset that everything I wear needs to be new, so I often forget how much I enjoy rewearing favorite costumes. My events are so few and so spread out that it feels almost obligatory to make something new every time, but I’m resolving this year to focus on quality over quantity and make things I truly love and am proud of the construction.